Nincompoop Love
by RageRunsStill
Summary: "This is the first time that I realize that love truly is the greatest gift of all... even if the love is coming from a couple of nincompoops." Free-verse.


What if _everything_ you had

been told was the truth,

was a _**lie**_?

Have you ever felt like

the **whole** _world_ was out to

get you?

Have you ever felt like the world was

_crumbling_ and **falling down** on top of you,

and you're _helpless_ to stop its descent?

_I_ **h**_a_**v**_e_**.**

I've literally been _**crushed**_ under the weight

of the world.

_(_**crushing**_pulverizing_destroyingforce_)_

But it wasn't just _me_, it was my brothers too.

(*)

I remember the day it happened.

Sun _shining_,

Birds **tweeting**,

Tires _squealing_,

Cars honking,

People **shouting**...

Just another normal day in the life of a _Clue hunter_.

(*)

They had lost us on the **highway**,

but they couldn't run f_o_r_e_v_e_r.

Soon enough we found them again,

and the camera in my phone went off

with a satisfying_ snap-click!_

I couldn't help but to _smile_ when I heard that sound;

the sound of being a step closer to **v**i**c**t**o**r**y**.

(*)

We m_o_**ck**_e_d them, saying we were better

and that they didn't stand a chance.

(_Wrong__wrong__wrong_)

What did they do in return?

_**Warn us.**_

They said not to go out of the front entrance

because there was a man there that had been _stalking_ them,

and had almost **killed** them.

_(_Honestly, was that the **best** they could do?_)_

I didn't believe them. How did I know they didn't want

us to start **panicking** and waste _valuable_ time

trying to find another exit?

**No** thanks, I'll find my own way.

Me and my brothers started jogging away,

**(**_after a quick threat telling them to stay put, of course_**)**

and I heard **N**ed start mumbling.

I asked him what was wrong, and he said he **believed** them.

I didn't bother asking why; my brother had always been an idiot.

That was when I caught a _glimpse_ of the man they had been talking about.

(Clad in **black**, hat pulled _down_, avoiding eye contact, hiding his face in _**shadows**_)

Too _**late**_.

**B**ANG_!_ **B**OOM_!_ **C**RASH_!_ **K**RA-A-A-A-A-CK_!_

My senses seemed to numb as the sounds rang out.

I only had one coherent thought: _They were right_.

**Ahhh!**

_T_ed's scream pierced the air surrounding me,

though the sound of the roof _crumbling_ above us

drowned out that noise.

I felt piecesofdebris hit me; I watched it crush my brothers.

_W_orst. _D_ay. _E_ver.

And it may be my **last**.

_(_**Death** _shouldn't be an option_**.**_)_

(But it is.)

(*)

I woke up, **painfully** remembering everything.

The explosion.

_Ted_.

**Ned**.

Oh, God, no!

I **b**e**g**g**e**d for them to be okay,

they had to be okay.

I called first for **N**ed, and then for _T_ed.

_Over_**&**over**&**_over_ I repeated their names.

I went on until my voice was _**hoarse**_, not that that took long.

Finally, I heard the **weakest**, most heart-_retching_ answer ever.

"Sinead...?"

But it was an answer no less.

(*)

Lying in a hospital, I felt ashamed and **angry**.

Ashamed, that I had been blown up,

and **angry** because here I was, having almost died,

and what did my parents do?

(**If**_ you_** could** _call_** them**_ parents._)

They grounded me, **N**ed and _T_ed!

It was like th_ey blame_d us for the expl**osion**,

like we had purposel**y went and f**lip_ped the switc_h!

Did they think we had _fun_?

Did they think we liked it?

_T_ed's blind, and **N**ed can't even think straight

without **pain**,

_**(Myfaultmyfaultmyfault)**_

and we get

G

R

O

U

N

D

E

D

?

They said we had better come up with a lead soon,

**or...**

They had left the threat **hanging**,

but I'm not sure I want to find out what they were _finishing it with_.

(*)

_**Sore**_, **angry**, _worried_ and most of all, fearful,

I got a letter in the mail.

**No address**.

No name.

All the envelope said was

"To **N**ed, _T_ed and Sinead Starling"

How _c__o__m__f__o__r__t__i__n__g_.

It had a lead in it, from an anonymous source.

How reliable was it?

Though _T_ed was worried about it, we b_r_a_v_e_d it.

Time to find out how _true_ that lead was.

(*)

Watching my brothers put on the dresses

was the most _**funny**_ thing I had ever seen.

**N**ed kept _complaining_,

_T_ed kept **complaining**,

and I couldn't stop laughing.

But apparently, winning the **C**_lue_ **h**_unt_

was more **i**m**p**o**r**t**a**n**t** to them then keeping the

"manly flare**"** they claim to have.

Or maybe they just want to show our parents

that even disabled, they're better than all of _t_**he**_C_**lue**_h_**unters**.

I just w_i_s_h_ they knew that I was doing this for **them**.

(*)

Dan in a _vise_ **grip**.

_**Amy**_ _confused_~**beyond**~reason.

Confusion, pandemonium and chaos...

looks like our work here is done.

!

What was he doing there? **O**h **w**e**l**l...

_(_a quick flick of the wrist and..._)_

Bye bye, Daniel Cahill.

(*)

Alistair is such a **dolt**.

He should have

K

N

O

W

N

that us, being _Ekats_ as well,

would be able to figure out his **not**-_so_-**clever** hideout.

Now just to get him to spill all he knows...

(**What's this old man talking about? A **_**hug**_**? That's it?**)

If only I knew the importance of this thing called **"**_love_.**"**

(*)

Sure, I've read about how _newborn babies_ will **die** within months

if they aren't hugged and _loved_ and **cared** for,

but I had never felt love to such a n e w d e g r e e.

I was always making fun of my **b**_r_**o**_t_**h**_e_**r**_s_,

but only now, standing in the Gauntlet,

seeing one of my brothers tied to a** tombstone**

rigged to blow, did I realize that I couldn't

_L_

_I_

_V_

_E_

without them.

If I didn't give up my Clues

**(**_ones I didn't even have!_**)**

_T_ed would **die**.

_**Die**_.

I hate that word.

_Heartless_.

Cold.

**Evil**.

Isabel!

How could you do this to me?

(_**No sixteen-year-old should have to face this.**_

_**Nobody, no matter the age, should have to choose between**_

_**their own flesh and blood, or the fate of mankind**_.)

(*)

**N**ED! _NO!_

I saw Isabel aim the gun in a dream-like state.

_NO!_

She couldn't kill him! Not **N**ed! Not anybody!

She already_ s_hot_h_er_o_wn_d_aughter! Isn't that enough?

So much mental _**pain**_...

It feels like I'll

_**never**_

_truly_

_**recover**_.

Amy? What the-? Is she nuts?

**Wait**! I'm helping!

Thank God, **N**ed! You're safe...

I think I understand the meaning of love now.

And not the s**c**i**e**n**t**i**f**i**c** meaning.

(*)

I feel _awful_, but at the same time, refreshed.

I feel _awful_ for _a_**bandoning** Dan and Amy

to handle Isabel _on their own_.

What person does that to the people that just

saved her brother's life?

I also feel _awful_ for coming to the realization

that I may be **more like Isabel** than I thought.

I told myself I wanted the serum for my brothers' injuries...

but somewhere, _**deep**_ in the _b_ack_o_f_m_y_m_ind,

I don't think that was true at all.

I'm going to have to work on the whole

"**_nice_**"

thing... won't _T_ed and **N**ed love hearing that.

(*)

I feel refreshed because both of my brothers are alive and **well**.

They're safe... we're all safe.

Not just me, **N**ed and _T_ed, but everyone that participated in the hunt.

I feel bad for _**Irina Spasky**_, even though I barely knew her.

(**R**est **i**n **p**eace, Irina. You've _earned_ it.)

(*)

**C**_o_**l**_l_**e**_g_**e**_!_

I'll admit, laying on that hospital bed

(which feels like _oh_**so** long ago)

I almost thought I wouldn't make it to **c**_o_**l**_l_**e**_g_**e**... again.

Me and my brothers had passed **c**_o_**l**_l_**e**_g_**e** years ago,

but we hadn't **really known** what we had wanted to study then.

Going back will be a nice _**change-of-face**_.

Maybe life has finally taken a turn for the better.

_F_lamsteed, _T_ed's _seeing_-eye **dog**, is a popular dorm member,

since I taught him to announce the lunch menu

(_one bark = pizza_; two barks = hamburgers; **three barks = mystery meat**)

It really does come in handy,

(_beware_ the dreaded **three-bark**).

(*)

All_in_all,

life is much better.

Mom and dad are mad, sure.

But me, **N**ed and _T_ed have grown much closer.

_And_ **honestly**...

This is the first time that I realize

that love, truly is the greatest gift of all,

_(_even if the love is coming from a couple of **nincompoops**_)_.


End file.
